Hertfordshire · TR19 inspections and grease testing
TR19 inspections and grease testing in Harpenden, Hertfordshire
TR19 inspections, grease thickness testing, pre-clean surveys and post-clean verification for commercial sites in Harpenden and across Hertfordshire. CHAS, SafeContractor and ISO 9001, and fully insured.
- Systems that need surveying before cleaning
- Insurance renewals needing proof of TR19 cleaning
- Missing access panels found on survey
Your questions about TR19 inspection in Harpenden
Do you work overnight in Harpenden?
Yes, nights and weekends are routine for us. Your customers, staff or residents in Harpenden needn’t be disturbed. Just phone us on 0345 646 2711 or send us an email with your opening times and we’ll plan around them.
Can school kitchens in Harpenden be cleaned in the holidays?
Yes. Half-terms and the summer break are the natural time for school work. Food Standards Agency records list about 10 schools, colleges and universities with registered kitchens within about a mile and a half of Harpenden. Send us your term dates when you call 0345 646 2711 or email us, and we will fit the work in.
How do you measure grease in a kitchen extract?
Readings are taken using the Wet Film Thickness Test or the Deposit Thickness Test, then compare them with the TR19® Grease figures.
How long does a TR19 inspection take?
An inspection takes a couple of hours for a typical kitchen extract system. Large or multiple systems take longer, so give us a ring on 0345 646 2711 or drop us a line and we’ll plan it.
Is a quote from pictures possible?
Yes, if we can see what we need. If not, a site survey comes first, then a fixed quote.
Can you set up regular visits?
Yes. Plans on a 3, 6 or 12-monthly cycle are available, depending on what the system needs.
What do you need from me for a quote?
The site address, the type of premises and your opening hours, along with a few photos and any previous report.
Do we have to follow TR19 by law?
No, TR19® is not legislation. The Fire Safety Order 2005 still requires the responsible person to manage fire risk, and grease in the extract is part of that. Many insurance policies also require TR19 adherence.
About our TR19 inspection in Harpenden
Taking on a kitchen in Harpenden with no cleaning records? Start with an inspection. You get readings, pictures and a clear view of what’s needed, before any cleaning is booked. The work covers insurer audits, post-clean checks and access surveys, and the jobs we see most are kitchens whose menu or hours have changed and insurers asking for TR19 evidence.
Many kitchens in a town like Harpenden were fitted into buildings built for something else, which can mean awkward duct routes, long flat runs and not enough access panels. Sections we can’t reach are listed on the report, and access panels can be added.
Nothing is signed off by word of mouth: a dated report with photos of the work, plus a certificate through the BESCA Vent Hygiene Elite portal when the work is a TR19® Grease clean. It shows what was done and what, if anything, couldn’t be reached.
- Where
- Harpenden (AL5)
- Region
- Hertfordshire
- Records
- Certificate plus before-and-after photos
- Quote
- A fixed quote up front
- Working hours
- After hours by arrangement; emergencies any time
- Call
- 0345 646 2711
- Reviewed
- 30 October 2026
When to call us in Harpenden
Grease in a duct is flammable fuel. A flare-up on the range can be drawn into the canopy and duct, and from there a fire can spread through the ductwork. Measuring it is the first step to keeping it under control.
If you notice any of these, it’s worth a diagnosis:
- Pre-clean surveys before a first TR19 clean
- Ductwork where grease may be over the TR19 limits
- Uncertainty over how often to clean
- Kitchen extract systems with no recent grease readings
If you run a church or community hall kitchen, near St Nicholas Church or elsewhere in Harpenden, its extract still collects grease from every lunch and event.
Before booking anyone
- Exactly which parts of the system are covered
- Whether the quote shows VAT
- Whether inaccessible sections are listed on the report
- What insurance they carry
Places near Harpenden
More services for Harpenden
Harpenden kitchens: local notes
Look up Harpenden on the FSA’s food hygiene register and you’ll find about 62 restaurants, cafés and canteens and about 13 sandwich bars and takeaways within about 1.5 miles of central Harpenden. Where they cook under a canopy, a grease reading is the way to tell whether the extract is due a clean. It’s St Albans City council that sends environmental health officers to food businesses in Harpenden. An officer looking round a kitchen will see the canopy, and grease there is hard to miss. A dated certificate in the maintenance file answers the question before it’s asked. The fire and rescue service for Harpenden is Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service. Grease in a kitchen extract is a recognised fire risk, and the fire authority enforces the law on managing it in most commercial premises.
A hospital like St Albans City Hospital, about 3.9 miles south, is the kind of site where a kitchen may cook for patients, staff and visitors all day. Term dates shape school work: for a school like Harpenden Academy, an extract clean fits neatly into a half-term or summer break.
Harpenden is about 6 miles north-east of Hemel Hempstead, in Hertfordshire. Sites in Harpenden get the same service as everywhere we cover: a survey first, a fixed quote, work timed around your hours and a report with pictures. We cover 381 places across Hertfordshire, large and small. We also work in Milton Keynes, about 23 miles from Harpenden.
TR19 inspection in AL5 is surveyed, quoted and booked the same way as anywhere else. TR19 inspection is available to premises on Station Road, High Street and Connaught Road and the roads around them. Main roads around Harpenden include the B652 and B653, so getting to you is simple for evening and night visits. Other places close to Harpenden include Batford (1 mile north-east), Lea Valley (1 mile east), Bower Heath (1 mile north), Mackerye End (1 mile north-east) and The Folly (2 miles east). We also work in nearby towns such as Watford (11 miles south), Hemel Hempstead (6 miles south-west), Stevenage (10 miles north-east), St Albans (5 miles south), Welwyn Garden City (7 miles east) and Hitchin (10 miles north). Harpenden is one of the larger places we cover in Hertfordshire for TR19 inspection.
Near you in Harpenden
In Harpenden, that means kitchens and buildings near Lydekker Park, The Junction pub and Sir John Lawes School and the streets around them. There’s a railway station in Harpenden itself: Harpenden station. Nearby you will also find Harpenden Museum (within half a mile south-west) and Luton Castle (5 miles north-west). Not far away are Wheathampstead Local Nature Reserve and Verulamium Lake.
What staff can safely do
Some jobs should never be done in-house: entering ducts, working on fans, testing dampers and taking grease readings need training, the right equipment and safe access. That is our job.
If your staff spot something between visits, like drips, unusual noise, smells or damaged filters, they should report it rather than try to fix it. We can diagnose it and quote.
What a clean won’t put right
In fairness, some problems need a different fix:
- Ductwork that was designed or installed badly
- Hidden runs that need access panels first
- Mechanical faults in the extract
If you are not sure, just phone us on 0345 646 2711 or use the quote form and we will give you a straight answer before booking.
Parts of the system we cover
- Wet film thickness tests
- Post-clean checks
- Deposit thickness tests
- Access surveys
- Pre-clean surveys
- Insurer audits
Multi-site and managed buildings
The Fire Safety Order 2005 puts the duty to manage fire risk on the responsible person, which may be the employer, owner, landlord, FM or managing agent. With shared responsibility, good records help everyone.
Records are where multi-site compliance often slips. Every visit ends with a dated report and photos, so you can show an insurer or inspector what was done at each site.
Keeping the system healthy
Results last longer with the right care. We suggest:
- Flag oily drips near the extract
- Store grease readings where your insurer can see them
- Keep the route to access panels clear
- Share inspection reports with your insurer or broker when asked
If any reading is 500 microns or more, the report flags it for immediate spot cleaning, and we can arrange it.
Close the access gaps found during inspection, so grease is not left building in hidden parts.
Leave it or put it right?
Don’t wait for an EHO visit or insurance renewal to find gaps in your extract records. An inspection now gives a site in Harpenden a current picture. With a fire risk assessment or inspection due, getting the work done first puts you on the front foot.
Whatever the type of site, the quote works the same way: the size of the job, access, condition and working hours. Call for a fixed quote and we’ll explain each part.
Why book with us
- Out-of-hours work and a 24/7 emergency line
- CHAS, SafeContractor and ISO 9001
- One number for every site across the South East and London
- BESCA Vent Hygiene Elite member, cleaning to BESA TR19® Grease
Read how cleaning jobs are priced or our accreditations and certificates.
What happens on the day
Your staff do not need to do much on the day. A contact on site lets us in at the agreed time and points us to the system, and the rest is down to us. Afterwards, the area is left tidy and the written report follows. A few pictures of the system and its access points help us plan a visit in Harpenden.
- We agree a time when the kitchen is closed or quiet.
- Every part of the system is examined, end to end.
- We take WFTT or DTT readings at set points along the system.
- Each test point and any access problems are photographed.
- You get a report with readings, photos and recommendations.
How to prepare
- Name a contact who can let us in at the agreed time
- Tell us the best time to work, such as after service or at a weekend
- Make sure equipment near the work can be switched off and left to cool
How to get a quote
For a fixed quote, phone us on 0345 646 2711 or email us and tell us the type of site, your opening hours and roughly what the system looks like. Photos and the last report, if you have one, make the quote quicker. We normally come back within one working day.